Photo provided by Matt Lynch
Entering Wednesday’s doubleheader against the Yankees, the Pirates are tied with the Diamondbacks for the third National League wild card spot.
Pittsburgh, who currently owns the tiebreaker over Arizona after taking two out of three from them earlier in the season (the teams will meet during the next homestand at PNC Park), joins the Cubs and Phillies as three teams currently in possession of a wild card spot.
The Pirates plan on being aggressive leading up to the trade deadline on Aug. 3, less than two weeks away. General manager Ben Cherington will be looking to address a bullpen in need of reinforcements, and could look to add depth the starting rotation if the right opportunity presents itself.
The Pirates find themselves in the largely unfamiliar position of buying at the deadline this year, and they have a number of prospects they can use to add to the big-league club in hopes of ending the second-longest active postseason drought.
Who won’t go? Who could? Let’s tier Pittsburgh’s prospects as trade chips.
Untouchable
There’s a 99.9999% chance that RHP Seth Hernandez won’t be going anywhere. The 2025 first-rounder is off to a stellar start to begin his professional career and has already emerged as one of the top pitching prospects in the sport. The 20-year-old is 6-1 with a 2.54 ERA in 17 starts across two levels and has 113 strikeouts in 71 innings.
Only in the Right Deal
OF Edward Florentino and 3B Murf Gray aren’t untouchable like Hernandez is, but they should only be moved if the right deal presents itself… like for Padres closer Mason Miller, perhaps?
Florentino represented the Pirates along with Hernandez in this year’s All-Star Game and has 17 home runs in 65 games between two levels this season. Gray recently joined MLB Pipeline’s top 100 prospects list and has slugged 25 home runs already while reaching Double-A Altoona one year after being drafted.
Potential Headliners
LHP Hunter Barco provides the only left-handed starting depth on the 40-man roster but is one of the more higly-ranked prospects the Pirates could consider training. With a 4.54 ERA at Triple-A this season and some uninspiring big-league experience, Barco’s value might not be as high as you might think, but he could fetch some bullpen help.
OF Jhostynxon Garcia finds himself stuck behind a logjam of outfielders currently on the active roster in Bryan Reynolds, Ryan O’Hearn, Esmerlyn Valdez, Jake Mangum and Billy Cook, with Oneil Cruz also working his way back. The Pirates have plenty of outfield depth to allow them to consider moving Garcia, who has had a great month with Indianapolis and is hitting .278/.353/.423 in Triple-A this season.
INF Wyatt Sanford has always had a good reputation with the glove, but the 2024 second-round pick has taken big strides offensively. Sanford is slashing .287/.425/.539 with 11 doubles, two triples, 10 home runs, 28 RBIs and 21 steals in 48 games with Greensboro.
INF Sammy Stafura might be the hottest hitter in the sport. Acquired from the Reds at last year’s deadline, Stafura simply cannot stop hitting home runs. In 40 games since joining High-A Greensboro, the 21-year-old is batting .317 with 15 home runs and 46 RBIs.
Complementary Pieces
INF Termarr Johnson has struggled with Triple-A this season, but the former first-round pick is still young and another organization could want to take a chance on him. But the 22-year-old is hitting just .198 in 80 games.
RHP Antwone Kelly has had a couple chances with the Pirates this season that haven’t gone well, but he does throw 100 mph and is 4-5 with a 4.58 ERA in 18 appearances with Indianapolis this year.
C/1B Rafael Flores Jr was the key piece the Pirates got from the Yankees for David Bednar last deadline. After already trading Joey Bart, Cherington could be hesitant to part with more catching depth.
Others With Value
C Easton Carmichael, INF Yordany De Los Santos, LHP Reinold Navarro, OF Lonnie White Jr.
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